By Colin Dwyer
Nyquist, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, crosses the finish line during the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7. Rob Carr/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Rob Carr/Getty Images
Nearly one year since American Pharoah made history, Nyquist has embarked on a star-making turn of his own at Churchill Downs. The thoroughbred has won the 2016 Kentucky Derby.
The colt beat out 19 other competitors over the course of a hectic mile and a quarter, crossing the finish line first.
But the win didn’t exactly come as a surprise. By mid-afternoon, the bay colt was pulling down 2-1 odds, cleanly earning honors as the heavy favorite. Nyquist — owned, trained and ridden by the same team that won the 2012 Kentucky Derby — approached this year’s race with the confidence of having succeeded at Churchill Downs before.
“There’s a quiet confidence in the group that’s not flashy,” owner Paul Reddam told Rick Howlett of member station WFPL before the race. “But — to speak Californian for a moment — there’s a very good vibe in the barn.”
Famous for his ice hockey fandom, the Ontario native named Nyquist after a player on his favorite team, forward Gustav Norquist of the Detroit Red Wings. And it’s not even the first — or the second, or the third — Red Wings player who has served as namesake for one of Reddam’s horses.
But, whatever the pedigree of his on-ice predecessor, Nyquist (the horse, to be clear) has been dominant on the track in his own right. Before the Kentucky Derby, the horse had gone a perfect 7 for 7 in his early races.
Now, make that 8 for 8.
Of course, the conclusion to this year’s Derby Day, now in the books, also ushers us to the starting gate of another beloved, decades-old tradition: talk of a potential Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby is just the first jewel in horse racing’s highest prize; to win a Triple Crown, Nyquist must now go on to win the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, too.
American Pharoah managed the feat last year — for the first time since 1978. Can Nyquist do the same? Ladies and gentlemen, let the breathless debates begin.